"It is important to understand the balance between jobs, the environment and good health," said De La Torre. "It is vital that we work hard to sustain an environment in which our children can grow up healthy, particularly here in the Southeast Los Angeles County area that is heavily impacted by trucks, railroads, and other sources of air pollution."

Assemblymember De La Torre was highlighted in the report as a leader in the Latino Caucus on environmental issues for his work in building a solid relationship between environmentalist and Latino Caucus members.

“Protecting and enhancing California’s environment is an obvious and basic responsibility for all elected officials in our state, so to be recognized for that is gratifying,” Assemblymember De La Torre said.

The CLCV is a nonprofit, grassroots organization that works to elect environmental champions, fight for environmental laws and keep the public informed about the state’s environmental politics. The CLCV has more than 30,000 members.

The Scorecard tracked legislators' votes on 27 different pieces of legislation, including measures that affect air and water quality, strengthen water use planning, expand recycling efforts, encourage renewable energy use, and strengthen controls on toxic chemicals.